Conrad's "An Outpost of Progress" has Kayerts and Carlier coming from an English society that repressed any freedoms they might have. Coming from a society that banned "all independent though, all initiative, all depature from routine," the two men suddenly found themselves in the Congo jungle where no such rules or limits existed. The madness that takes over the two men only reflects the society they are meant to represent, and show how such oppressive societal structures are harmful. Neither have expansive imaginations or sense of individualism, a result from the narrow structure of society that only allowed them to be courageous within a crowd. Void of any values individually, the two men slowly start to deteriorate without the rigidity of society to prop them up.
This is a statement attesting to how dangerous such societies can be. An indidivual may be obliviously content in the structured world, but once thrown into the wild, the consequences of previously living in a narrow society become evident, such as with Kayerts and Carlier. Their failures are a reflection of the "progressive" society they are meant to represent, presenting a true face of consequences that resulted once the veil of society had been undone. Kayerts realizes this at the end, refusing to return and crucifying himself in defiance.
This is a very interesting point to bring up, because it's true. If I could define everything you were saying in one phrase, it would be "fear of the unknown". These two men have been living in a world where uniformity and order was the norm. When they had to step outside of that into a world that was unknown and somewhat "savage", they didn't know how to survive and I'm sure that shook them up a bit. Conrad seems to be implying that maybe the British society isn't the best society after all.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis of the story seems quite similar to mine. During group discussion of Wednesday's class, my group attempted to interpret the possible significance of the cross, which is used as a device for action multiple times throughout the narrative. I feel that our conclusion very much supports your claim regarding the characters' reliance upon the safeties of a structured society:
ReplyDeleteThe cross, in perhaps the broadest sense, is a symbol for the ritual mechanics of the civilized world, suggesting organized religion and a burial tradition that is uniquely human. Civilization is perhaps not such a triumph for man, crippling him into fear and faulty crutches. Should he be bold or unfortunate enough to fall from such foundational attachments, his mind could crack completely. Hence, the story leaves us with an image of Kayerts hung from a cross, symbolic of the notion that he is branded even beyond death by the burdensome structures of the civilized world.